Yerington teens who sued city, school district over racial harassment reach settlement

Siobhan McAndrew
Reno Gazette-Journal

U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks approved a settlement agreement on Monday in a federal lawsuit filed against the Lyon County School District and the city of Yerington by two teens who were the victims of racial bullying over the past school year.

The settlement details are under seal, according to court documents, but the city of Yerington and the school district have agreed to pay a lump sum to the family of the bullied teens and pay all attorney fees.  Attorney fees topped $160,000, according to court documents. 

The lawsuit that alleged racial discrimination by the city and the school was filed in January on behalf of sisters Jayla Tolliver and Taylissa Marriott. The 15-year-old freshmen at Yerington High School said that over the 2017-18 school year, they were repeatedly called racial slurs, including on social media.

Read more: Two black teens face racist bullying in Yerington — and they say no one is stopping it

More: Teens file racial discrimination lawsuit against Lyon County School District and City of Yerington

Jayla Tolliver  and Taylissa Marriott were victims of racial bullying at Yerington High School during the 2017-18 school year.

On Oct. 8, 2017, the name-calling became terrifying when photos of a Lyon County sheriff’s deputy's son holding a gun and wearing a belt with knives was posted on social media. Superimposed over the photos were the words “the red neck god of all gods…we bout to go (racial slur) huntin’ and “Watch out (racial slur).”

In court documents, Yerington High School official said they knew the girls were complaining about the racial comments. Terri Keyser-Cooper, the attorney representing Jayla and Taylissa's family, said the school didn’t produce a single document showing they had investigated the nearly daily racial name-calling or had interviewed the girls about their experiences.

The Lyon County School District said in a statement  that it "is pleased to confirm that this matter has been resolved.  The district looks forward to working positively with students, families, and staff to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone."

In previous interviews, the district said it stood by how it handled bullying and had followed the law.  

Yerington Police Chief Darren Wagner told the Reno Gazette Journal in an October 2017 interview that he was not investigating the threats posted on social media because they were protected as free speech and that the family's police statements were shredded accidentally.  Wagner has not returned a request for comment.

After the lawsuit was filed, the Yerington School District did make changes and reached out to racial harassment experts from the U.S Department of Education. It agreed to pay for counseling for the teens.

Taylissa Marriott, left, and Jayla Tolliver hold the letters of support they have received from Swope Middle School students who have read the RGJ story of them being bullied at their high school. Both attend Yerington High School where they say they have been racially harassed.

Jayla and Taylissa released the following statements:

I would like to thank everyone who had our back and listened when no one would, through this long painful experience. I learned that you should never let your voice be unheard even when people turn their backs and tell you to lower your voice. Racism is something I never thought I’d go through. Racism is also something many people have done nothing about, but I am proud to say that I am one of the few who stood up when my race was an issue to others. I will always look back on this tragedy knowing that it made me the strong African-American woman I am today! Racism is something that I knew went on through the world but for a long time I forgot it existed. I cannot dream about having so much hate for another group of people because of their skin color yet there are people all over the world who find people of color disgusting and repulsive because we are different but don’t realize how beautiful and unique we are because we are different. I hope that our story inspires others. Always remember no matter where you are from, what you look like, how different you talk, or how you walk we are all equal. Jayla Tolliver

I just wanted to start off saying my sister Jayla and I are so thankful. I would never in a million years believe we would have to go through what we did. For having you guys say that you are here for us and standing by our sides gave us so much hope that we could fight and overcome all the horrific behavior. In the beginning, we didn’t realize how much of a change we have made and by us being some of the many to stand up and let their voice be heard made me feel that we did change the way people judge and look at someone before they actually know them. But I want to say a BIG thank you to Swope Middle School for being some of the biggest supporters and some of the first to reach out to my sister and me. Taylissa Marriott

*This story was updated to include a statement from the Lyon County School District.